Do you find yourself spending less time on productive activities than you would like to? It’s next to impossible to do the things you need and want to do in your business if your mind and environment are cluttered. Humans can only handle so much at once. It’s distracting to have a cluttered environment. And it’s truly a poor environment for productivity if your mind is cluttered.
Now I know, this can be a tedious subject – people in business would rather spend time thinking about making money. However, it all ties in together. If there is something preventing you from reaching your goals, it could be all of that clutter.
It’s time to make some big changes.
This might not be something you ever thought about before. After all, your focus is on your business. But time and time again, you don’t feel anywhere near as productive as you want to be. What’s the problem?
It’s not for lack of trying. You read guides on how to be more productive. You often vow to yourself that you’ll finally stop procrastinating and start to get more done. And maybe it helps for a little while—maybe you start to see changes.
Inevitably, things always wind up right back where they were again. It’s frustrating. How can you be working so hard to improve yourself, only to find no true improvement at all?
So How Do I Improve Productivity?
There are dozens of things you can do to become truly more productive. It’s a matter of figuring out where your biggest struggles are and working to eliminate those struggles. I’m a huge fan of studying productivity and time management. I’ve studied some of the most productive people in the world.
There’s something they have in common—they lead uncluttered, unconfused lives. They don’t try to work in cluttered environments. They don’t try to work with cluttered minds. They try very hard to eliminate distractions that take them off task and ruin their mindset.
That’s what you’re going to do, starting today. The things that go on in your environment affect your mindset and productivity. The clutter gets in the way and confuses you away from the tasks you know you’re supposed to be doing.
These are things you want to do because you know they’ll improve your business… but you just can’t seem to make it happen because there’s too much going on internally and externally.
Let’s change that, starting today. Ready? I know you are… this is the answer you’ve been waiting for to dramatically boost your productivity.
How to Clear the Clutter in Your Environment
Take a look around you right now. Is your work environment clean or cluttered? Maybe it’s certainly “clean” in that it’s not dirty… but are there stacks of books, papers, and office supplies lying around your desk?
Do you feel good, positive, and joyful when you’re in your work environment?
Does it give you a feeling of peace and calm or of chaos?
There’s honestly no correct answer because “uncluttered” is subjective. Some people can’t have any clutter at all. They need total simplicity in a work environment. Maybe just their computer or just their paper and pen or whatever the main tools of work are. Everything else has to be out of sight or they’re unhappy and unproductive.
Other people find a certain comfort in having “things” around them. Their favorite pens, notepads, multiple computer screens, etc. That’s okay if that’s what works for you. But, I think you’ll agree that it’s not necessary to have dozens of unfiled papers, pen caps, pens that don’t work, trash from lunch, etc., all over your desk, right?
Then there are the other things in your environment that might be distracting you. If you work from home with your family around you, then the noises of the household can be really distracting. It’s easy for family to fall into a pattern of thinking it’s okay to interrupt you even when you’re working hard—it’s important to be firm with them about what your work hours are. Or, try to find work time where you won’t be interrupted, such as early in the morning or late at night. I know that’s not always ideal, but do what you can or what works for you if you’re finding yourself distracted at home.
There are also things like the laundry and household chores that might capture your attention and take you off task when it comes to doing your work. There’s always more to do.
There’s no easy way to get rid of your responsibilities from home. But I might suggest you get an office that’s out of your home. If that’s not feasible for you, then make sure you set work hours and stick to them. Don’t let yourself do household stuff during work hours, and vice versa.
In summary, take a look around your current work environment and figure out what you need to change. Eliminate the clutter in your environment in any way you can.
How to Clear the Clutter in Your Mind
It’s also important to eliminate the clutter in your mind. It’s easy to dismiss the thoughts, feelings, doubts, and everything else that are swirling around in your mind. But, those things are dragging you down—quite possibly even more so than the clutter in your external environment.
How do you talk to yourself throughout the day? You might not be aware of it, but there are certain thoughts you have throughout the day that are directed at yourself. Do you call yourself stupid, unworthy, and other terrible things? You’ve heard of positive affirmations, so start to use them. Eliminate the clutter of negativity in your mind by replacing negative, hurtful thoughts and filling yourself with positivity.
Also, get your to-do list out of your mind. Sure, you have a lot to do. But those tasks are sucking your energy. Get them down on paper and prioritize. Eliminate the tasks that truly aren’t important after all.
Focus only on your most profitable, most important tasks and forget the rest. Break your tasks down into smaller parts so you can focus on one thing at a time.
Again, the human mind can only handle so much. Make sure the things you focus on are truly worth it. Get rid of the mind clutter by releasing those things that aren’t important after all.
Prioritize, simplify, eliminate, and focus. If you do those things and clear the clutter in your mind, then you’ll be so much more productive and save yourself so much time and stress.
What to Do If Things Get Cluttered Again
It’s worth repeating this process and re-evaluating this advice every once in a while. That’s because your internal and external clutter can very easily build right up again. You don’t want that to happen, so doing some maintenance on the problem can be really helpful.
Every month or so, take stock of your external environment. What can you eliminate? What’s important and fills you with joy and productive thoughts?
Take stock of your internal environment. What can you eliminate from your mind? What can you break down to make it easier to manage? What’s most important to focus on? How can you simplify your to-do list and thoughts?
Simplicity Is the Secret to Ultimate Productivity
You’ve no doubt noticed a pattern throughout all of this. It’s so important to simplify as part of your goal to become more productive. Get rid of what doesn’t matter and focus on what does matter.
Clutter only serves to drag you down. There are absolutely no upsides to clutter, neither internal nor external. So eliminate it and simplify. You’ll have a better mindset, save yourself time, and you’ll be so much more productive overall.
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